1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a picture frame assembly and a retainer for holding a picture in the frame of the assembly. More specifically, the present invention relates to a retainer which has a large areal surface and an adhesive on that areal surface for adhering to a backing sheet within the frame assembly. The present invention also relates to a picture frame assembly which includes a frame, glass or plastic sheet, a very rigid, double faced corrugated board backing sheet and two or more of the retainers adhered thereto and fixed within the frame for holding the components firmly against the frame surface thereby providing a one piece construction which will allow the frame assembly to be held in place on a wall without distortion of the top, bottom or side walls of the picture frame when hung on nails, hanging wire or other picture hanging hardware.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore a number of picture frame assemblies have been proposed including a picture frame that is made from an extruded metal, such as aluminum, and which has cutouts in the extrusion such that the extrusion can be folded to a rectangle to form a frame.
Furthermore, it has been proposed to provide clips for engaging the frame and bearing against the backing sheet for the picture mounted thereon which is positioned within the frame. A typical prior art clip is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings forming part of this patent application.
A recent example of a prior art picture frame is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,089. This patent discloses a picture frame including a framework, a support plane on which the image is placed, a transparent plane and blocking elements independent of the framework which interact with the framework and the supporting plane to hold the support plane and the picture in place within the framework.
A major on going xe2x80x9cconcernxe2x80x9d in the picture frame industry is the lack of acceptable rigidly  rigidity for wood, plastic and metal frames of thin cross-section. This inherent design problem is most apparent in frame sizes of over 16xe2x80x3xc3x9720xe2x80x3 since the weight of the glass and the extended xe2x80x9cbeamxe2x80x9d of the frame contribute to a noticeable xe2x80x9cbowxe2x80x9d when the frame assembly is suspended from the top horizontal frame member by nails. In severe cases, the frame deflection results in a dislodgement of the glass with resultant glass breakage and hazard to the user.
Many design approaches have been used to rectify this condition and include the following design approaches:
Gluing the glass to the frame profile.
Stapling the back to the frame profile for wood and plastic frames.
Use of support xe2x80x9cstrappingxe2x80x9d (belly bands) stapled to the back side of the frame profile for wood and plastic frames.
Use of paper xe2x80x9cdust coversxe2x80x9d glued to the back of the frame profile.
The retainer and picture frame assembly of the present invention differ from the prior art retainers and picture frame assemblies by providing a retainer which has a large areal surface area on a side of the retainer facing a backing panel or sheet and a double sided adhesive tape on that surface which is adhered to both the retainer and the backing panel of the picture frame assembly. The retainer has preset corners or edges forming bend lines whereby the large areal surface area with or without an adhesive thereon is held firmly (flush) against the back side of the backing panel.
Further, the picture frame assembly of the present invention differs from prior picture frame assemblies by providing a picture frame assembly including not only the retainer described above but also a backing panel made of thin double faced corrugated board whereby when an adhesive is provided between the areal flat outer surface of the retainer and the backing panel, the weight of the picture frame assembly is supported not only by the frame but also by the backing panel and the picture mounted thereon such that the weight/load is distributed throughout the picture frame assembly.
According to the present invention there is provided a picture frame assembly including a picture frame and backing panel mounted therein which picture frame has, in crosssection, a side wall, a turned in short flange at the rear end of the side wall extending forwardly to a free end, a rearwardly extending flange at the front end of the side wall providing a forward locator slot between the rearwardly extending flange and the side wall, said frame assembly including two or more retainer members, each retainer member including a generally U or V shaped retainer clip having an inner linear/planar leg portion having an outer areal surface adapted to abut and be adjacent to a portion of the back surface of said backing panel, and having a flange extending laterally outwardly therefrom, a bight portion extending from said inner leg portion at an angle thereto, and an outer leg portion which extends in a non-linear/non-planar manner to an outer end housing a hook formation, and means for grippingly engaging said outer areal surface of said inner leg portion of said retainer clip to said back surface of said backing panel, said laterally extending flange of said clip member being received in said locator slot and said hook formation having a groove which is adapted to receive the free end of said short flange extending forwardly from said side wall toward the picture in said picture frame, and said outer area surface being of sufficient areal extent of at least approximately 0.25 inches in width and 1 inch in length to provide support to said picture frame to inhibit distortion thereof while at the same time providing a retaining force to said backing panel.  retainer clip adapted to be positioned between an inwardly extending flange at the back of a picture frame and backing material located within the frame behind a picture in the frame. The retainer clip includes a resilient body, structure on the body for engaging the inwardly extending flange at the rear edge of the picture frame and structure on the body for engaging the backing material. The structure for engaging the backing material includes at least one prong, detent or barb positioned to engage the backing material.